The Assistant (32 page)

“What?” Her eyes widened in shock, before she spoke up again. “Are you being sarcastic? Because I heard you’re a bit of a queen when it comes to that.” Her eyes narrowed at me, warily.

I laughed before shaking my head. “No, I’m being genuine. There is no point in having bad blood between us, like you said.”

“Oh my God! Thank you so much! You’re really the nicest girl I know, Emily. Adrian is really lucky to have you,” Anna gushed, pulling me in for a hug.

I laughed again and hugged her back. “Thank you, Anna.”

“No problem! Okay, so I know I just said we don’t have to be bum chums or anything but I was thinking we should grab coffee or lunch or something on our breaks tomorrow! We have it at the same time, I see you walk out of here every day and come back the same time as I do! That sounds really creepy… I mean, I don’t do it on purpose. It’s just something I’ve noticed, you know?” Anna grimaced once she finished rambling and looked over at me.

I stifled another laugh and nodded. “I understand you completely. Lunch sounds great. I’ll meet you outside the building tomorrow and we can have a chat.”

“Oh, that’s really great! Thank you so much!” Anna squealed, pulling me in for another quick hug and dashing out of the small conference room.

I walked back to the office with a slight frown on my face. Adrian noticed it instantly, and was by my side before I was able to blink. “What happened? Are you okay?” he asked.

I looked up and smiled at him. “Yeah, I’m fine. Anna… Anna just apologised to me.”

Adrian stared back at me blankly, before he slightly raised an eyebrow. “… Who is Anna?”

“I… Anna? Don’t you remember? The woman from marketing department that you… well, you know,” I finished, avoiding his gaze.

“Honestly Shortcake, I don’t remember anyone since you came along.”

He smirked.

I began blushing at the comment before playfully pushing him away. “You’re an idiot,” I mumbled with a smile.

“A very lovable idiot,” Adrian said while waggling his eyebrows.

“A very egotistical idiot,” I corrected, smirking smugly.

“Did you say testicle?” Adrian faked gasped. “Shortcake, that’s positively scandalous!” He gushed, widening his eyes as they landed on me.

“What- Adrian, where did you even come up with that?!” I laughed, before placing the new employee files on his desk.

He shrugged with a grin, before speaking up again. “My father has invited us over for dinner this weekend. Are you up for it? He was jealous that I went to my future in-laws’ house and you haven’t seen yours yet.” He shook his head at his father’s
behaviour, before looking over at me for an answer.

I took a seat at my desk before raising an eyebrow. “‘Future in-laws’?” I asked.

Adrian nodded eagerly. “I may as well get used to calling them that since we’ll be getting married soon.” He shrugged.

“How are you so sure that I’m going to say yes?” I asked in amusement.

“Well, you can’t say no,” Adrian glared, clenching his jaw.

I was taken aback by his sudden anger towards the subject. “Um… Why?” I asked slowly, afraid of how he’d react.

“That’s not important,” he muttered, avoiding my gaze. “Are you going to accept my father’s offer or not?” he asked, steering back the subject. “I need to let him know.”

“Yes, of course I’ll go. Now tell me why I can’t say no,” I demanded, bringing up the previous topic.

“Just forget about it, Emily. It’s not important.” Adrian sighed, avoiding my stern gaze.

“Clearly it is, since you got angry over it and won’t tell me what the reason is! Come on, did someone blackmail you into marrying me? Is that why you’re with me?” I pressed, frowning slightly.

“What? No! I don’t have to tell you anything. You didn’t tell me about David Walter. I think it’s even now,” he reminded me.

“You know why I didn’t tell you about David Walter! It concerned my best friend’s safety! Does this concern my safety? Are you being forced into marrying me because someone is threatening my life?” I asked with wide eyes.

“No! Who said I’m being forced into marrying you in the first place? I’m Adrian Kingston; I do whatever the fuck I want,” he snapped.

“What is it then?” I asked again. I knew I was becoming annoying. Hell, I was annoying myself. But curiosity was like a bug I couldn’t get rid of.

“Forget about it, Emily,” Adrian repeated through gnashed teeth with a clenched jaw.

I glared. “If you were in my position, you would’ve made me tell you.”

“Well, I’m in my own position so I don’t have to tell you anything,” he replied with a glare.

I could tell he was about to burst. His eyes were narrowed to slits and his jaw was clenched to the point where there was a circular bone popping out of his jawline. “Fine. If it’s that important to you, I’ll just leave it. I’m sleeping at Amy’s house tonight,” I announced, looking away from him and turning to the computer screen.

“No, you’re not,” Adrian snarled, making me focus on him again.

I glared. “Yes I am. You can keep whatever the hell you’re hiding away from me, but you can’t keep me from sleeping at my best friend’s house.”

“Jesus, just drop it, will you? It’s nothing!” he exclaimed angrily, throwing his arms up in defeat.

“I
have
dropped it!” I snapped.

“No you haven’t! You’re angry, so you want to sleep at Amy’s to avoid me!”

“That wouldn’t be happening if you would just be open with me like I was with you with the David Walter situation,” I retorted angrily.

“You were only open about that because I caught you having lunch with him!”

“Oh, so you want me to hire someone to stalk you so I can find out what it is so you can be open about it, is that it?” I asked with eyebrows raised.

“No! It’s nothing like that.” He growled in a low voice, inching closer towards me in anger.

“Well, I guess you don’t mind if I sleep at Amy’s tonight then.”

“Dammit, Emily, just drop the subject and forget about it,” Adrian commanded in a cold tone.

“Fine. I guess next time, I should just keep everything to myself as well,” I muttered, looking back at the computer screen. ”Because clearly the trust thing is only happening one way.”

“Shortcake, you know I trust you. I trust you more than I trust Allen; and I’ve known the guy since High School. Just please drop this, I don’t think you’re ready to hear it just yet. You’ll freak out and I’ll lose you,” Adrian mumbled, no longer looking angered by my persistent behaviour.

I sighed. “I’m not weak, Adrian. I can handle it. Especially if it’s something concerning me. Do you know how unfair that is? I have a right to know!”

“Not with this you don’t,” he replied, his voice becoming cold again.

I let out a frustrated growl. “I can handle it, A-”

“Fine! I’m in love with you, Emily!” Adrian yelled. “Are you happy now?!”

I could only stare back at him after that. Everything went silent; even the usual murmurs we would be able to hear from the offices outside fell quiet. I’m pretty sure Adrian yelled loud enough for the entire top floor to hear him. He was breathing slightly heavier than usual as he looked straight into my eyes before he looked away.

“I knew this was going to happen,” he mumbled, before shaking his head in disappointment and disappearing into the mysterious glass door across from my position.

Chapter Twenty Four

A few questions ran through my mind just as the glass door clicked shut.

Did Adrian Kingston, arrogant playboy sex symbol of New York, just profess his love to me?

What was behind that goddamn glass door?

Why was I still sitting at my desk, when I should be in there, telling him how I feel about him?

But most importantly,
why didn’t I eat that doughnut?

Snapping out of my mental state, I made my way over to the mysterious glass door and let out a nervous sigh before knocking softly. “Adrian?”

“What?” came his dull reply. I heard shuffling within the room, and I took his reply as an indication to open the door.

My shoulders sagged in disappointment once my eyes landed on the décor within the small room. There was a queen sized bed fitted with plain back sheets, a small flat screen television across from that, a cupboard that was small enough to fit in the corner of the room, and a small replica of a kitchen sink in the farthest corner from my position.

Adrian was standing in that corner, holding a square shaped cup with a light brown liquid inside it. “Scotch?” I asked softly, afraid of his reaction.

“Brandy,” he replied, before taking a huge gulp of the alcoholic substance.

I nodded meekly before stepping further into the small room. The tension hung thick in the air, and I decided to sit on the edge of the bed while Adrian poured himself another glass.

I looked around the room again, searching for anything to focus on in order to take my mind off the man standing in front of me. It occurred to me then that Adrian
still
didn’t know my favourite colour, and the urge to inform him overpowered the awkward state I was currently in.

“Pink,” I mumbled, looking down at my lap.

Adrian’s reply never came after that, and I looked up to find him looking at me in confusion. “My favourite colour,” I added, blushing slightly. “It’s pink.” I sounded like an idiot. A random idiot.

“That was going to be my next guess,” Adrian replied. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly in my direction, before his expression turned hard again.

I sighed before speaking up, “Adrian-”

“No, Emily. If you’re going to lie to my face. I’d prefer that you didn’t say anything at all. In fact, I’ll do you one better. Let’s forget this entire thing happened. We can go back to being-”

“I’m in love with you, Adrian,” I said, cutting his suggestion short.

His expression morphed into one of pure surprise as his gaze fell on me again. He glared. “You’re lying. You wouldn’t love someone like me.” He shook his head, before gulping his entire glass of brandy. His knuckles began to turn pale, giving me an indication of just how tight he was gripping onto the glass.

“What gave you that idea?!” I exclaimed angrily.

“Come on, Emily.” He laughed bitterly, before placing his cup down onto the table in front of him. “I’ve seen the way you associate with other men. You’re freer, you smile all the time. You don’t need to worry that they’ll suddenly have a mood swing or that they’ve had a bad past with women. You
know
I will, so naturally, you’re going to want to walk away from me. I told you not to lie-”

“I’m not lying!” I snapped, jumping out of my seated position on the bed and making my way towards him. “I’m not lying. I can’t lie about something like this. You- You waltzed into my life without a care in the world! I don’t know how you did it, but somehow, you’ve made me fall for you harder than I can describe. You’ve made come to accept, and even
like
the fact that you’re jealous, possessive, moody and arrogant. You also love to make me squirm in any way possible, you’re a pervert, you’re stubborn as hell, but you know what? I
love
that about you; because underneath all of that, Adrian, you’re also kind, caring, funny, and – although you’ve had a rocky past which made it hard for me to do this – you’ve even made me trust you. So, if you still don’t believe me, let me know, because this trust thing? It’s becoming clearer that it’s only a one-way thing happening here.” I was huffing from anger by the end of my speech, and I glared up at Adrian, waiting for his response.

He just kissed me.

Not a single word was uttered out of his mouth. Just a small, simple kiss that had enough heat infused into it to take my breath away. My hands instantly found their way into his hair, and I began kissing him back in an eager way that had him lifting me up to rest on his waist while I wrapped my legs around his hips.

Adrian gripped my thighs firmly as I felt my fingers slip out of his hair and begin to fumble with the buttons of his shirt, all while keeping the kiss in motion.

Adrian began walking, and my back made contact with the cool texture of the wall.

“We can’t,” I murmured in between kisses as Adrian began to slip off my work blazer.

“Yes we can,” he grumbled as he trailed kisses down my neck.

I sighed and tilted my head for easier access just as Adrian began to unbutton my own shirt.

“Adrian, we have a meeting in 20 minutes,” I tried again, trying to gain some control over my hormones.

Adrian let out a frustrated sigh and held me up against the wall as he pulled out his phone from his pocket. I waited there awkwardly, clad in my navy coloured lace bra and business skirt just as Adrian put the phone to his ear. “Suzie, push back everything we have scheduled for the next hour,” he ordered, before his gaze looked over my upper torso. “Make that the next two hours.”

He hung up before Suzie could utter a reply. He threw the phone onto the small table beside us and brought his lips back to my neck. “Adrian.” I sighed, gripping the back of his neck tightly. “The office door-”

“Emily. Mention one more thing about work, and I’ll take you right here. On this wall.” He growled, detaching his lips from my neck to look me straight in the eye.

My eyes widened before I nodded. “S-Sorry,” I stuttered.

His dark expression morphed into his usual arrogant smirk, before I felt the zipper of my skirt being tugged at. Within a flash, my skirt was on the floor, and Adrian led me to the bed.

***

“YOU FINALLY HAD SEX?!” Amy yelled in the small café, a huge grin plastering itself onto her features.

The murmur of the café instantly died down as everyone turned to look at our table, and my eyes widened in mortification before I covered my face with the small napkin that was set in front of me.

“Whoops,” Amy whispered, before taking her seat with a weak smile. The few customers at the café stared for a few moments longer before restarting their conversations.

“Amy!” I exclaimed with a groan.

“I’m
sorry,
but do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this moment to happen?!” she asked, before aggressively opening a sugar sachet and pouring it into her coffee mug.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do,” I responded flatly, before taking a sip of my own drink.

“Well, I’m just glad you’ve finally gotten some. I must admit, Adrian is a pretty good looking man.” Rita winked from beside me, before picking up her own mug.

“She didn’t only get some. She got some
twice!
” Amy squealed with a grin.

I glared in an attempt to cover up my flushed cheeks, before throwing a sugar sachet in her direction.

“
And
then again at night,” Amy added, getting ready to duck as I picked up another sachet.

“Can we change the subject please?” I whined.

“So what are you going to do about David Walter?” Rita asked with a worried frown.

The mention of David Walter instantly darkened my mood, and I glared at the dark brown surface of the table before answering. “Adrian has something planned, but he won’t tell me what it is. All I know for now, is that I have to go to dinner with him next week and act like I usually would, and then it’s going to be settled from there.” I frowned at the sound of Adrian’s plan; it didn’t sound promising, and I didn’t think we were going to get far with it.

Rita nodded in understanding, before taking another sip from her mug. “I hope it all works out. That man is a creep,” she announced with a shudder.

“Tell me about it. Now, back to the sex! How good was he? Who broke first? How did it go down?!” Amy asked frantically, raising her voice again and attracting the attention of the people sitting closest to us.

“Amy, put your voice down!” I repeated desperately while looking around.

It dawned on me just then that I had forgotten to mention the fact that Adrian had confessed his love for me, and that I returned the same gesture. I smiled weakly in her direction, and her bright blue eyes instantly narrowed in suspense.

“You left out something, didn’t you?!” she said in a low voice, glaring daggers.

“It’s not-”

“Don’t even
think
about telling me it’s not important. Need I remind you of the speech I first recited to you multiple times when you first took this job?” Amy pressed, giving me a menacing look.

“No! No, I’m fine. It’s pretty much drilled into my memory.” I cringed, recalling the ‘breathing is important’ speech from 6 months ago.

“Well?!” Amy urged.

“Oh, right.” I laughed awkwardly. “Well. He and I got into a fight and then he told me that he was in love with me and I was in shock so-”

“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Amy screeched, casting a silent blanket over the café once again.

My eyes widened at the attention, before I got up from my seat. “Maybe we should talk about this somewhere else…” I trailed off uncomfortably, looking around.

Rita’s rigid form was the only thing revealing her complete shock over the news, and she stayed quiet throughout the suggestion.

“No, no! I’m sorry!” Amy said quickly. “I won’t say another word until you finish explaining.
In detail
,” she added with a warning look.

I sighed before sitting back down. “He told me he was in love with me, and then said he knew this was going to happen and disappeared through that glass door I always used to talk about. Do you remember that? I mean, I thought it was going to be like a secret laboratory or something that would show me Adrian’s true alter ego. It turned out to be a small room with a bed, kitchen, bathroom, and a small closet.” I grumbled in disappointment.

“Continue!” Amy stressed.

“Right, so I went after him and told him that I was in love with him as well and that he didn’t trust me even though I trust him. He kissed me after that, and then we… well, you know.” I mumbled, flushing in embarrassment.

“Yes, I do know.” Amy grinned, waggling her eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head at her perverted mind before continuing. “We had it twice there. Then, after work, we had dinner and it just happened again. I don’t even remember how.” I frowned as I recalled the memory of last night just as my phone buzzed against the polished wooden table.

Adrian’s name popped up on the screen, and I answered it instantaneously. “Adrian? Is everything okay?”

“Shortcake, we have a problem on our hands,” he announced in a stone cold tone.

My eyes widened. “What is it? What’s happened?” I asked frantically, already beginning to grab my handbag from the side of my chair.

Adrian spoke up just as I slung the bag onto my shoulders. “Here I am, sitting at my desk, signing a new contract for the next hotel being built close to here; then I remember how sexy you are. Now I have a boner staring up at me, waiting for your lovely-”